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How Generations & Legacy Turn Miles Morales’ World Upside Down

As Miles Morales continues a heroic legacy of power and responsibility that spans generations (and even realities_, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s aware of every aspect of Spider-Man’s history, or what it’s like to endure an onslaught from an army of Spidey’s foes. This fall, he’ll experience some big aspects of the Spider-Man legacy first hand, in both the present and the past.

The first moment comes in next month’s Generations: Miles Morales Spider-Man & Peter Parker Spider-Man one-shot by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Ramon Perez. There, thanks to time travel, Miles will witness a shocking moment from Peter’s past. Then, in November’s Spider-Man #234, Bendis and artist Oscar Bazaldua bring Miles Morales into the Marvel Legacy era with an arc that pits him against a new incarnation of the classic Spidey villain group, the Sinister Six.

In part two of our conversation with Bendis about his plans for Miles Morales the writer spoke with us about how these stories fit into the long-form story he’s telling, revisiting the classic Lee-Ditko era of Spider-Man, writing a jerk Flash Thompson, and the supervillains that make up the ranks of the new Sinister Six.

CBR: Spider-Men II isn’t the only team-up story you’re working on with Peter and Miles. You’re also doing the one-shot Generations: Miles Morales Spider-Man & Peter Parker Spider-Man with artist Ramon Perez. It looks like that will allow him to return to the world of teenage Peter Parker that he brought to life so well in the 2014 Amazing Spider-Man arc, “Learning to Crawl.”

Brian Bendis: Yes! I’m so excited about this project. I love Ramon Perez and was dying for something special to do with him. Also, this is such an important chapter in the history of Spider-Man. What Miles discovers about Peter Parker in this book is so huge that it changes him forever.

I know you hear that all the time. I may have set off an alarm on this website by saying those words, but do know I don’t say this unless I really mean it. I’m telling you the end of our Generations special is a big one.

It sounds like this continues the exploration of what the legacy of Spider-Man means to Miles.

Yes! Everybody knows you can’t unsee what you’ve seen. That’s what Generations will be for Miles.

It looks like this story involves time travel back to Peter’s early days as Spider-Man. Will you be able to play with some of the original Lee-Ditko era Spider-Man characters in this one-shot?

Here’s what I can say: You wouldn’t think I’d need to do research on Spider-Man since I’ve literally been writing the character for most of my adult life, but I dove right back in looking for where the story might take place. In doing so, I got very reflective of who Peter Parker was in those later Ditko issues, and who he is now in the Dan Slott era.

Miles has only met the Dan Slott Spider-Man and my Spider-Man. In some places, the Stan Lee-Steve Ditko Spider-Man stories have a surprisingly depressive tone. Remember, there are whole issues where nothing goes right for Peter. So in this context, Miles will see Peter in a different light.

I’m very excited for people to see this. No matter what level of Spider-Man fan you are or where you’re coming from, whether you’re the deepest dive person, or you’ve only been reading my Spider-Man, or you literally just discovered Spider-Man this summer via the movie. I think the Spider-Man Generations special is an eye-opener on the characters and I also sincerely hope a gateway to people looking back into some of the earlier issues of Spider-Man by Stan, Steve, and John [Romita Sr.]